Two face hindering charges in Auburn suspect search

A second person is under arrest in connection to the suspect wanted in the weekend's triple homicide in Auburn and the wounding of three others.

Jeremy Thomas, 18, was arrested and charged with hindering prosecution as authorities search for Desmonte Leonard. Thomas was taken into custody Monday around lunchtime. Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson says Thomas is one of the two men who left the scene of the shooting with Leonard.

Thomas isn't a stranger to law enforcement. WSFA 12 News reported in June 2011 that he was arrested and charged in a 14-year-old girl's homicide. A check with court records shows that a grand jury later chose to indict Thomas on manslaughter charges. His trial is set for June 18, 2012.

The 18-year-old is being held in Montgomery, but will be transported to the Lee County Detention Facility at some future point.

The first arrest happened late Sunday evening when the Montgomery Police Department, in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service and Auburn Police Department, arrested a 41-year-old Montgomery man for allegedly providing false information to law enforcement officers searching for Leonard.

Gabriel Thomas of Grovewood Drive was charged with one count of first-degree hindering prosecution late Sunday night. It wasn't immediately known what, if any, relation the two Thomas men have to each other.

The 41-year-old Thomas was arrested on a warrant signed by the Marshals Service.

Thomas was charged after investigators determined he'd made contact with Leonard and provided misleading information in the search for the Auburn shooting suspect..

He was transported to the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where he was being held under a $15,000 bond.

Law enforcement agencies are continuing to search for Leonard, who is from Montgomery. Rewards totaling $15,000 are being offered for information leading to Leonard's apprehension.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $10,000 reward for the apprehension and conviction of Leonard. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $5,000 reward for the apprehension of Leonard.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Desmonte Leonard is asked to call the U.S. Marshals tipline at 334-223-5400.